How To: Wear A Double-Breasted Suit

The cookie-cutter two- and three-button suits are great for everyday wear, but there is no comparison to the swagger of a double-breasted suit. The glamour and heritage of the overlapping suit jacket is the quintessential gentleman’s style. Yet, the double-breasted suit is disappearing from many stores, in another sign that menswear trends have moved too far toward the casual and pedestrian. This may be partly because so few men actually know how to wear the double-breasted suit. This is a shame, because a simple two-button sack suit is far less comfortable.

The following are fashion tips to keep in mind when you're figuring out how to wear a double-breasted suit and bring back a classic look that should never have disappeared to begin with.

Assess your body shape

Like the three-button single-breasted suit, a double-breasted suit looks best on a man of medium or tall build. However, any man can wear the double-breasted, provided the jacket is tailored at the waist. This is the one suit jacket that every man should have tailored to his torso. By bringing in the waistline, the wearer’s shoulders become more prominent. Smaller men can actually benefit from the double-breasted profile. Even if your waistline is wider than your shoulder width, the overlapping lapels can help to hide that waistline spread.

Choose peak lapels

Double-breasted suit jackets should always have peak lapels. Notched lapels were sometimes seen in the early 1990s as designers experimented with various styles and cuts, but the shape of the jacket dictates a peaked lapel that accentuates the shoulders.

Look for 6-button jackets

The smaller the neck opening, or rather the higher the lapels cross over your chest, the greater number of buttons your jacket will have. The double-breasted suit is marked by two rows of vertical buttons. The optimal number is a six-button jacket with two rows of three buttons on the outside and one additional closure button on the inside.

Check out some more advice on how to wear a double-breasted suit after the break...